1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin-plate accommodating/transporting container in which one type of a container body can be combined with various types of lids, and can be used according to processing stages, such as transportation, process, storage, or the like, and according to uses.
2. Description of Conventional Art
As a commonly known example of a thin-plate accommodating/transporting container, a container which accommodates and transports semiconductor silicon wafers can be mentioned. In such a wafer accommodating/transporting container, when the container is transported, it is important to keep the interior of the container clean so as to prevent the surfaces of the wafers from being contaminated. In order to keep the interior of the container clean, the container is sealed. Sealing of the container is conducted by firmly securing the lid to the container body.
Examples of means for sealing the container include a combination of an engaging claw and an engagement hole, a structure employing a magnet, a structure utilizing a negative pressure (the term xe2x80x9cnegative pressurexe2x80x9d as used herein refers to a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure.). According to types of sealing means employed, the container body and lid are provided with a combination of an engaging claw and an engagement hole, a magnet, a sealing member, or the like.
At a wafer maker, semiconductor silicon wafers are accommodated in the thin-plate accommodating/transporting container, and then the container is sealed by such sealing means. Thereafter, the container is transported to a semiconductor manufacturing factory of a device maker (hereinafter, a container used for transportation will be occasionally referred to as xe2x80x9ccarriage containerxe2x80x9d). In the manufacturing factory, at the vicinity of the production line, the semiconductor wafers are transferred from the carriage container to an IC pattern-forming-step container and/or a storage container according to uses, and then such production line containers are placed on the production line. Here, the term xe2x80x9cIC pattern-forming-step containerxe2x80x9d refers to a container used at the step of forming IC (integrated circuit) patterns, and the term xe2x80x9cstorage containerxe2x80x9d refers to a container used for storing wafers in the course of the manufacturing steps. The term xe2x80x9cproduction line containerxe2x80x9d is a generic term of the IC pattern-forming-step container and the storage container because the IC pattern-forming-step container and the storage container are both used at the production line.
Each of the above-mentioned types of containers has a function suitable for each use. More particularly, in the case of the carriage container, emphasis is placed on sealing property in order to prevent contamination caused by invasion of foreign matters or the like because the carriage container is transported via an automobile or an airplane. In the cases of the IC pattern-forming-step container and the storage container, emphasis is placed on operability or usability at the time of opening or closing the lid rather than sealing property because the IC-pattern-forming-step container and storage container are used in the clean room.
Meanwhile, after the semiconductor silicon wafer is transferred from the thin-plate accommodating/transporting container used for transportation (i.e. carriage container) to the production line containers, the thin-plate accomodating/transporting container used for transportation becomes unnecessary, so that the thin-plate accomodating/transporting container used for transportation is treated as disposal waste. Thus, in conventional art, the thin-plate accommodating/transporting container is used only for transportation. This causes unfavorable problems of lower use efficiency of the container, waste of resources, increase of disposal waste, and high manufacturing costs.
The present-invention has been accomplished in view of the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a thin-plate accommodating/transporting container which, after being used for transportation, can be also used for the processes conducted at the production line.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thin-plate accommodating/transporting container including a container body for accommodating and supporting a plurality of thin plates while keeping the interior of the container clean, comprising:
positioning means, provided at the container body, for accurately adjusting a placement position of the container body;
lid receiving portion which is provided in the container body and to which the lid is attached; and
engagement means, provided at the lid receiving portion, for engaging with various types of lids of different attachment methods.
Owing to this constitution, thin plates, such as semiconductor wafers, are accommodated in a container body, and a lid which is used for transportation (hereinafter, occasionally referred to as xe2x80x9ctransportation-use lidxe2x80x9d) is attached on the container body, and then the container is transported to a semiconductor manufacturing factory or the like while keeping the interior of the container clean. Thereafter, the transportation-use lid is removed, and instead a lid used for a production line or the like in the factory is attached to the container body. Attachment of the lid to the container body is conducted by means of engaging means. The container body can be used as it is at the production line or for storage in the factory because positioning means provided in the container body is standardized. Placement of the container is conducted in such a manner that the container is accurately positioned at a specific location by means of the positioning means, and then placed at the specific location. Thus, the container body of the thin-plate accommodating/transporting container can be used for production line or the like after it is used for transportation. Accordingly, use efficiency is greatly enhanced, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the thin-plate accommodating/transporting container according to the first aspect of the present invention, the engagement means provided at the container body includes at least two means out of hooking, adsorption, and vacuum attraction which serve as means for engaging the lid with the container body.
Owing to this constitution, by means of engaging means, a plurality of lids of different attachment methods can be attached to the container body. Accordingly, the container body, which has been used for transporting thin plates, can be used at the production line or the like as it is, so that use efficiency is greatly enhanced, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the thin-plate accommodating/transporting container according to the first aspect of the present invention,
the engagement means provided at the container body includes: an engagement claw or engagement hole which engages with an engagement hole or engagement claw provided in a first-type lid; a magnetic member or magnet which attracts a magnet or magnetic member provided in a second-type lid; and a sealing member attaching portion or sealing member which comes in contact with a sealing member or sealing member receiving portion provided in a third-type lid to seal the container so as to maintain the air pressure of the interior of the container subjected to vacuum attraction treatment to a negative pressure (The term xe2x80x9cvacuum attraction treatmentxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to treatment in which the air pressure of the interior of the container is lowered to a negative pressure by absorbing the air in the interior of the container so that the lid can be attracted downward by the outer force caused by negative pressure).
Owing to this constitution, when the first-type lid provided with the engagement claw or engagement hole is attached to the lid receiving portion formed in the container body, the engagement claw or engagement hole in the first-type lid engages with the engagement claw or engagement hole of the container body, whereby the lid is attached to the container body.
When the second-type lid provided with a magnet or magnetic member is attached to the lid receiving portion, the magnet or magnetic member provided in the second-type lid is attracted to the magnetic member or magnet provided in the container body, whereby the lid is attached to the container body. It should be noted that, in the pair of the magnet or magnetic member provided in the lid and the magnet or magnetic member provided in the container body, at least one of the elements constituting the pair must be a magnet. This is because, if both elements constituting the pair are magnetic members, they do not attract each other.
When the third-type lid provided with a sealing member or sealing member receiving portion is attached to the lid receiving portion formed in the container body, the sealing member or sealing member receiving portion provided at the third-type lid comes into contact with the sealing member receiving portion or sealing member provided in the container body, whereby the lid and container body are sealed. The interior of the container body is subjected to vacuum attraction treatment so as to keep the air pressure of the interior of the container body to a negative pressure, whereby the lid is pressed toward the container body by the force of the atmospheric pressure.